Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-01-23
AHEAD cr BELl Axo GRAY.
Claiming to Have snycntcd she
Tcyephoue Before Both.

Tire United States against JIG
Telephone Company, to test inc
validity of the telephone patent grant,
10 Professor Bel, was made, the oscca-
son Of publication here Friday alter
neon as to some Of the points when
will be employed by the Government
counsel to combat Professor Ben s
claim to being the inventor Of the tele-
phone. The EUc0iBg JOurnGh IN out
lining the evidence, says "There Is IN
this city to-day an aged Italian, An
tonic Meucci, who, with counsel, has
come West in the telephone interest
which he represents. Mr.. Eleucci wes
seen by J0unm representative TINS
afternoon and gave the details OF
lbs case. which, while limited at, have
never been published before.
From the story Of Meucci Il appears
that in 1919 he was director OF mechan-
ism Of the Tacon THEATRE During his
leisure moments and in the mornings
when unengaged he had experimental
with electricity and electrical imple-
ments. lie had theory that disease
could be cured hy electricity and DIS
covered as well. While pursuing the
Investigation of these ideas he had de-
torminCd TO try the effect on friend.
4 wire and battery were connected,
there being complete circuit. Each
wire was connected with copper plate,
which the Italian caused the man to put
into his mouth. Both men were III
different rooms, and the shock to
enc caused him to eXclaim when
Re put the copper plate INTO
lis mouth. Mcucci at the other
end of the line had the copper
rlate between the teeth and heard the
sound. the communication beng
through the medium of the teeth 70 the
auditory nerve. He continued 70 eX-
peiiment IN this discovery. la May,
1851, he perfected paper-cOne and
Couyorsd through it very family with
Persons across the street, using in this
instrument a membrpnOus diaphragm
Ike those used in later years by the
Pell Company. Meucci soon moved
10 New York, where q struggle between
,ovctv and a desire to further his in
ven. on began. The history Of the dis
covc.y as set forth in the long inter
viow. and Meucci's right to the
claim of priority and his at
tompts to secure his rights through
the long years of extreme poverty,
would iorm startling story itself,
but when reinforced hy the later de-
yelorments makes Il unimpeGchlble.
IN New York the aged inventor took his
paper, specifications, Gndmodels - Nr.
Grant, at that time the president OF
the New IOri, District Telegraph Com
rany, end desired him to submit them
90 the electrical expert OF the company.
This Mr.. Grant promised to do, but
kept delaying this for nearly two years.
IN the mean time Noucci, fearing to
lose his rights, filed n cGyeat, IN winch
tl.e following clauses relate to his IN
vention Of p sound telegraph, and which
cayeat was grated December %, 1871,
five yCals before that az Graham Bell
Tie J0HL Gi then reprints the de-
sclif ton Of 1lcucci's invention, as sized
in the Patent Office at Washington ~
insure the protection OF his rights IN
this description Acucci slys: 81 en-
ploycd the well known conlu ting c1e.t
of continuous metallic conductors rs
medium for sound, and increased the
eject ly electrically insulating bothtl,
conductor and the parties who are COM
mUniCat.ng. it iormsa spoaking ttia-
graph without the necessity for any
hollow tubes. ] claim that portion or
the whole effect may also be realized
by q corresponding arrangement with a
metallic tube. believe that some
metals will serve better than 9th
CIs, but propose to try all kinds
of metals. The system on which lpro-
pose 10 operate, and calculated, consists
IN Insulating two persons separated ut
considerable distances from each other,
10y placing thSm upon glass lnsulators,
employing glass iOr example nj the feet
If the Chairo bench on which bach one
SITS, putting them ia communication by
means OF Z telegraph wire. / believe il
preferable to have the wire OF Il larger
area than that ordinarily employed lii
the electric telegraph, ont viii expert
mcnt On tits Each OF these person,
holds to his mouth an instrument al.-
looous toa speaking trumpet in which
the Vorcs may be easily pronounced and
the sound concentrated upon the wire
Another instrument IS also applied t.
the cars to receive the voice of tn
opposite party. Al thcsa-to wit, the
mouth utcusil ana the earinstrments-
communicate to the wiye at q short dis
lance from the persons. The ear uten-
OF "a convex form, iikecl0ck-
the whole exterior part
Of the car, and make il easy and com
Portable for the operator. The object
is to bring distinctly to the hearing the
words Of the person at the opposite end
Of the telegraph. 2is. Mcucci closed
his description as follows: "Icllim "a,
my invention, and desire to have con-
sidcrcd as such for all the purposes of
this caveat, the new invention herein
set forth in all its details, combination,
and sub-combinations. - These claims
he combined under six heads, covering
all possible uses of his invention.
The documentary evidence now on
file in the secret achieves of the Patent
Office is also published 10y the JoWaql,
that the cloims OF Neucci to
inyenting telegraphing by sound was
recognized by the Commissioner OF
Patents together with an acknowledge
ment Of improvements in December,
1872, and again in December, 1873, and
that these ums embody in great part